And Then The Demons Vanished
by IV Red
Summary: Do you know what really happened in Castle Oblivion? Do you know what's happening now? Do you need to? //Does Zexion ring any bells? //"I'm... going to disappear... aren't I?" //Org XIII; traitors, inner plots, faux-emotion and the final crisis. XigDem.
1. Prelude to an End

_This took so long, but I am EXTREMELY PROUD of where this whole thing is headed. :D This, folks, takes place through most of KHII. Organization XIII's corruption and crisis from two completely points of view corresponding, of course, to Xigbar and Demyx. Faux-romanticism, politics, power struggle and more._

_For Mollie & Roxy & Jotaku because they contribute to my inspiration a whole freakin' lot, though I really don't want Roxy to ever read my stuff. XD  
_

_For gothboymylove, fiercesunshine, WayToDawn-- well, all the friends I've made in this fandom. Or, eh, the ones interested in this story. Love you all!_

_(BUT I LOVE MAH XIGGY THE MOST. HAPPY BELATED AXEL & XIGBAR DAY?)_

* * *

**And Then The Demons Vanished**

_Part One: The Greatest of Thirteen Evils_

_Prelude to an End_

* * *

_What sound does a shadow make? Assuming, of course, that it's an individual shadow, separate from the dark mass of an alley, the shade of a building or what-have-you._

_None, actually._

_The trick's to keep alert. Shadows don't need to hear you comin'. I found this out a life and a half ago: they don't hear; they feel. Secondary effect of being able to melt into surfaces in that two-dimensional way they've got. We never did give it a name. _

_No need to bother with stealth, really, but I wasn't planning to anyway. _

_Twenty-six, twenty-seven... twenty-nine shadows. I call 'em moving targets when I don't feel like entertaining myself with the thought that I'm killing things for fun (it's not killing per se, I think I told him that, back in the better days). Moving targets all around;__ it's a __nice sight. __It's n__icer when they can't feel your footsteps because you're not stepping on anything at all. They're confused. __T__hey're defenceless. It's not fun, but it's nice. It'll do._

_Let the pr__e__y be the pr__e__y, right? It's raining anyway – there'll be no smell or left-over smoke when I'm done and, because of the water, they wouldn't hear it coming, if they could.  
_

"_Hum while you work,__"__ he said to me back then. __"__Hum while you work." They won't hear a thing.__ (And if I don't hear the water it's because we'll all sink for good.)_

* * *

With a demure like nothing in the worlds but itself, the perfectly-white circular room was quiet for a while. Thirteen chairs rose high from the ground, impossible to access by any conventional means, yet on seven of them sat seven dark-cloaked figures. The thirteenth chair, unlike the other unoccupied seats, had not been empty for long.

Higher than any other, Xemnas looked upon the members of Organization XIII; the King of Nothing, watchful and just as demure.

"Roxas has reunited with his Somebody," he stated, voice deep and invariably emotionless.

Five cloaked figures turned in his direction instantly. The remaining one stayed still; his hood was pulled back to reveal spiked red hair and a thin face from which a pair of bright green eyes stood out clearly, contrasted by thin, triangular tattoos.

He already knew. Only he had known the thirteenth member's whereabouts before it had come to this.

"We have confirmed his location," the Superior continued. "For now, we will change our strategy and use this to our advantage; we will let him go and help us to complete Kingdom Hearts. He must serve his purpose and be disposed of as soon as he outlives his usefulness, or make himself useless and be eliminated now."

The members of the organization looked expectantly.

"Number Seven," he called. "You are to remain in the castle. The rest of you, go. Do not reveal yourselves to him until I order so, and do not let your guard down. Number Eight… I hope you understand the weight of your failure to defeat Roxas. We will speak about this shortly. Number Two, you will pursue the bearer of the Keyblade in Hollow Bastion for the purpose of collecting information, nothing else."

VIII remained still and II gave but a quick nod – only I's voice would be heard that day.

"Dismissed."

With that, five Nobodies disappeared through black-purple portals, leaving vague traces of smoke as proof of their passing through the room in The World That Never Was. There wasn't anything else to do, after all. They could do nothing about their fellow non-being.

* * *

As expected, Xigbar was the last one to return to the castle.

But the Nobodies did not await each other, nor did they interact on a daily basis. The castle was rarely full, be it daytime or night-time. The spontaneous schedule of their missions, which had increased in number and relevance since their last meeting, kept them separated. And so, Xigbar was greeted by none as he strode slowly through the hallways, headed for his room.

The castle was big enough to make every position within its walls seem empty at all times, but the organization's Number II expected company soon. The same company as always, the same kid who was pretty much the only one still grinning despite everyone else's lack of joviality. He stopped before rounding a corner, listening to the approaching footsteps with a knowing smile.

He quickly teleported in front of the other Nobody. "'Ey, Dem."

Demyx stepped back, startled, before letting out his breath and pulling back the hood of his cloak to meet the greeting with a smile. "Xiggy!"

He smiled with a kind of pleased exasperation, a common reaction around IX. _He's gonna stick to that nickname, isn't he?_

"How's everything goin' over here?" Xigbar asked, stopping to ruffle Demyx's hair before walking on with the young IX by his side, as usual.

"Everyone's acting weird, even though the Superior let Axel go," the blond explained, looking slightly absent as he continued. "I guess we didn't really expect _that_ to happen."

"He really doesn't remember a thing," the older Nobody commented thoughtfully – it went unsaid that the conversation wasn't about Axel anymore.

At this, IX nodded and dropped his gaze to his own feet as they both walked down the impossibly long hallways that led to their rooms. Xigbar looked at his companion with a slightly worried, slightly sympathetic expression. The boy was usually the least reserved of the lot of them; when Demyx acted like this, Xigbar knew without a doubt that bad things were happening. Resolute, he stopped in his tracks.

"Ya know…" He started, scratching the back of his head. "I guess s'not so much like that. He still gives me the same look."

Demyx stopped as well and turned back to the scarred male, hopeful and curious. "Do you think he remembers you?"

"Maybe his heart does, a little," Xigbar responded. "Aren't you glad he's got one now?"

"We do too," he reminded, much to Xigbar's humour. Sometimes he'd consider the musician's words – the boy could come up with feasible reasons every now and then and, Braig be damned as he would toss in his proverbial grave, his theories sparked Xigbar's seemingly forgotten scientific interest in ways Demyx probably wasn't aware of.

But not this time.

Xigbar simply chuckled and continued to advance. "You sure of that, kid?"

"Of course!" Demyx nodded energetically, confident as he stepped ahead and faced his companion, walking backwards while he spoke in some sort of sing-song voice. "You know it too, you just don't want the Superior to be mad again."

"Who, me? Scared of Xemnas?" The Gunslinger asked, exaggerating his disbelief with a mock-offended expression and a dramatic gesture towards himself. "As if. Better luck next time."

"If you say so," the Nocturne said, snickering lightly. "Anyway, I was supposed to tell you that we've got another meeting tomorrow morning."

"So soon? Damn," Xigbar cursed. "Gonna have to call it a night about now, eh?"

"But you just got back," Demyx complained, crossing his arms in protest. "And it's been as boring as Twilight Town here."

Willingly disregarding the true meaning of Demyx's words for the time being, Xigbar brought a hand to his chin thoughtfully. "Hey, I like Twilight Town."

This, however, appeared to go right over IX's head. "Me too, but still."

The sniper laughed. "I'm not gonna haul your ass all the way to the meeting room again if you oversleep."

"Fiiiine…" A beaten look and a pause – and then Demyx quickly added, "But that was just once."

"Twice!" Xigbar corrected, humoured.

"Okay, okay, I get it," Demyx chuckled, waving his hand dismissively.

"How's about you get some sleep now and I'll see you in the morning?" He proposed with an amiable smile as they reached the door to the ninth bedroom and he, again, ruffled Demyx's hair. "Gotta make sure you make it in time, ya know?"

"Sure, but who's gonna make sure _you _get up in time?"

He grinned at the sitarist's victorious little smirk. "Touché, squirt, but I've got a mission with Xaldin and he'll be glad to take out my eye if I'm not up at six sharp."

"Alright," the blond laughed. "Then I'll see you tomorrow. 'Night!"

"'Night, kid."

With a wave, Xigbar turned around and opened a portal a few paces ahead of himself, looking forward to unconsciousness – things would get hectic soon, he suspected, and the amount of work that'd bring was surely not his thing. At least he had the morning to think and smile to himself about; it wasn't about favouritism, dubiously possible to start with. It was about as much of a friendship as he could fathom in his current state, about a bit of obliviousness to what was to come.

Things would indeed get hectic soon. He knew.

Roxas had been the detonator. Only the detonator, only the first step. They were all important pieces now, disposable but important, and Demyx… Demyx was a break and a prospect to smile about. Maybe he didn't need to know what Xigbar knew, maybe the touch of obliviousness would be crucial, eventually. At least it was a good thing that the kid wasn't too deeply involved in the organization's shadiest matters yet. And honestly, he reminded himself, such simple things like listening to him sleep-talking the next morning were just too entertaining to pass up.

_Wonder if the kid has it in him to figure things out by himself._

"Demyx."

He crossed his arms and turned around to look at the teen following him.

The Nocturne chuckled nervously. "Um, yeah?"

He tried to give Demyx a serious look, but soon failed. "Give it up, kid," he said between laughs. "You'll never get it."

"I was pretty close this time," the younger male retorted, pouting.

The simple things, Xigbar noted, were truly the most entertaining. Things like IX's constant attempts to get his hair-tie. Whatever sort of fixation the boy had on doing something to his hair, the Freeshooter wasn't too keen on finding out.

"Yeah, I s'ppose it's better than getting caught ten feet away," he conceded.

"Okay, I'm really going to bed now," IX smiled contentedly, beaten again. "I need to be in top shape so I can try again, right?"

"Good call. 'Night, Dem."

_Nah, he doesn't need to know._

His eye stayed locked onto the musician in a contemplative look that would've been unnerving to the blond had he not known better. The man laughed quietly to himself after a few seconds, and shook his head as he turned away and walked off. Demyx recognized the gesture, that of someone who wanted to say something but decided against it, and although he couldn't assign a meaning to it, it did imply things about Xigbar's mood that Demyx hadn't finished understanding either.

It was a pleasant sign, nonetheless.

"'Night, Xiggy."

And maybe that was where it started.

* * *

_We're falling, baby. The last man alive went down._

_There's only rats and snakes left now._

**End Chapter 1**

* * *

_Thank you for reading, and do consider reviewing._

_Now, I'd like to ask you to step over to my profile and click the link to my DeviantArt account. I've got a few KH things up there already, and as for writing, there's the updated version of Once Upon An Artist's View, plus a header-ish-thing image. Thanks to those of you who have already been there!  
_


	2. The SideWinder InBetween

_Looks like updates will be quite irregular with this thing... but I'll work on that._

_Ah, please make a quick visit to MatamuneMero on deviantArt. :3 That's me. I've uploaded quite a few things recently. Anyway, if any of you dudes has a dA account, I'd apreciatte it if you drop by._

* * *

**And Then The Demons Vanished**

_Part One: The Greatest of Thirteen Evils_

_Chapter II: The Side-Winder In-Between._

* * *

By the time Xigbar walked down the wall, opened the door to the ninth room and proceeded into its ceiling, Demyx was already gone. Uncharacteristic, at worst. And so he waited.

He sat down – _up _– and fiddled with his gloves carelessly, not giving the matters much thought until the ninth Nobody himself stepped in, slightly hesitant in all of his actions. Xigbar didn't doubt to drop down to the floor for a change, standing just as tall as the younger male after his quick landing, too used to the motion for it to be anything but graceful by now.

"Mornin', sunshine," he said. "Anything the matter?"

Demyx shook his head and walked straight to his bed, plopping down on it. "They always pick me for the missions I'm not good at," he explained, frowning slightly as he put his hands behind his head and closed his eyes for a moment.

His fellow Nobody rolled his one good eye, perceiving the situation as more than slightly familiar. "Gee, what is it this time?"

"Scouting the Underworld. Though first, I have to steal something that'll allow me to. Tomorrow, maybe the day after."

"You're not so bad at stealth," Xigbar encouraged, and he really _was _being honest; he'd confirmed the boy's potential. If only he didn't panic after it all was done, then perhaps he wouldn't have these issues – not that he minded sticking around to give him a pointer or two and a bit of confidence.

"I dunno," Demyx propped himself up on his elbows, eyeing his companion with a clearly worried look; whether he overdid the games of pretend or openly felt, the Freeshooter would never know and wouldn't make much of an effort to find out. "I'm gonna see Roxas."

He frowned. "So Xemnas thinks he'll respond?"

"I hope he does and I hope he's right," the Nocturne shrugged.

"And if he doesn't?"

Demyx bit his lip. Xigbar scrutinized him with an equally uncharacteristic serious expression.

"I'll fight, no problem."

II remained silent, acknowledging the answer with a simple, unseen nod, senses keen on the soft sigh that escaped Demyx's mouth and the ticking of a clock in the next room. His mind didn't wander, not with the simplicity of the raw situation and how obviously forced Demyx's composure was. _So, this is where it starts, huh?_

He walked towards Demyx, who was lying down again and seemingly attempting to go back to sleep; with a shrug and a knowing little smile, Xigbar held out his hand. "C'mon Dem, time to go get something to eat. I could use some coffee."

Demyx blinked a few times before rubbing sleep off his aqua eyes – he then took Xigbar's hand without hesitation and let the older man pull him to his feet, smiling as he was led out of his quarters.

"Sorry for not being in my room before."

Xigbar shrugged and walked on; Demyx couldn't help but grin secretively. He'd worried, he knew, even if worrying was rather un-Xigbar-like and he didn't want to admit it to himself. He'd been at least a little worried, that was for sure. And, distracted as Demyx was by amusing and nice though,he didn't let go of the elder's hand until they reached their destination.

* * *

Sometimes they liked to think they were people, even if the facts were clear and said; they repeated and digested and spit them right back out in frustration. They were blank, Xigbar considered when the situation and time allowed him to look for a way to describe their condition; they could communicate with the world around them, but were forbidden from comprehending what the world communicated. It made him think of those padded rooms and the potentially dangerous subjects they contained, back at the laboratories. Potentially unnerving, but accurate. Still, they played human, smiling or displaying distaste for their own sake.

Several chairs around the table had been empty for a while now, a fact that always was ignored, although the empty spots were never taken by anyone else. Nobodies didn't really need much nourishment anyway; it was just the notion of sharing a meal, just like Sombodies do, that was appealing.

How, in the midst of nothing, the Melodious Nocturne remained so sane was beyond Xigbar's understanding and surely further beyond the others'.

II wasn't one to become frustrated within himself – instead, he half-mindedly assumed being a Nobody and kept on his way, half-heartedly acknowledging that his objective was to obtain that which they all lacked: a heart. He didn't really frustrate himself about its absence, or stop himself from laughing when it seemed natural. But Demyx was different, ridiculous and a tremendous relief. Perhaps it took a fool to stay sane, perhaps an ignorant, but in the end it was a callow youth of nineteen who managed such a thing.

Every little demon worried about their own salvation, no more, no less, and now more than ever.

Xigbar couldn't help but worry about the Nocturne's as well, if only because of the way he laughed nervously and spoke. "Xemnas said I have to leave for the mission tomorrow night. That's good, but…"

"You'll do fine, just try to stop over-thinkin' it," Xigbar replied with a smile crooked by a scar and a dismissive hand motion. "That's not your thing, ya know," he added, only half in jest.

Demyx gave his usual Xigbar-offended, Xigbar-amused, slightly pouty look and proceeded to laugh as well. "You're right," he accepted. "I've got a few new songs to practice anyway, I'd best get to it. Will you stop by to hear them?"

"'Course," II nodded – such a venture for the afternoon had become usual for them. "Go on ahead, I'll catch up later."

"Got a mission?" Demyx asked as he stood and grabbed his empty plate.

"Something like that."

IX looked at him questioningly. If anything, he'd learned that there was no filter between what Xigbar thought and said; and then there were times like this, when Xigbar would only lead him into roundabout thoughts – because of that, he decided not to ask any more.

Instead, he sighed. "It's my turn to do the dishes today," he said, taking Xigbar's plate as well as he left for the kitchen and yelled over his shoulder, waving. "Later!"

"See ya in a few hours, kid!" Xigbar yelled back.

_Well now… _He took a look around; of course, as he should've assumed earlier, Xemnas hadn't joined the others for breakfast. He decided against asking Saïx about it – if protocol didn't appeal to him before, it never would, much less now – and, as to save time and avoid bothers, concluded that he'd just pop in and collect information his own way. Nobody would be there to call him a slacker anyway, and Xemnas would think him nosy one way or another.

All in a day's work.

He stood up, walking past the kitchen door – he could imagine Demyx leaning on the sink, making tiny copies of himself from bubbles with just as tiny soap sitars, and really, it wasn't his fault that summoning corridors of darkness didn't require much of his concentration anymore – as he went on his way to… ah, there he was.

"Xemnas."

The Superior looked up from the desk of his private study, surrounded by stacks of journals, notebooks, reports and heavy volumes alike. "What is it?"

He walked closer to the silver-haired Nobody, his usual demeanour intact; perhaps it was a remnant of Braig's idiosyncratic, persistent hand motions and far too laid-back body language, but he found that it was quite hard to change. All situations and problems, he believed, could be talked into and talked around and talked out of. Same with other methods, which may be considered more _persuasive _in terms of the well-being of the receiving end, but this was Xemnas after all. "Why are you sending that kid? Not just anyone can go scurryin' right under Hades' nose, especially with little Fluffy over there."

"Everyone has their duties, Xigbar," he replied, brow raised curiously. "Acting like it matters if any one of them is lost on the way to our ultimate goal would be… unproductive."

"Can't pretend it does. But we've got a couple of empty seats already, any more members lost would be way more unproductive, don't ya think?"

"There's no need for extra members to assign missions to if they are going to fail."

_So, you wanna see if he makes it?_

Xigbar let out a laugh.

"Sheesh, Xemnas… testing the organization again, eh?"

Xemnas merely returned to his work. Just like II's previous, real self, it was to be taken for granted that he'd have his nose in everything.

_Pft... asshole._

* * *

The ninth bedroom was not devoid of music that evening. Demyx cleaned and tuned his sitar, occasionally testing out a few notes, unable to stop the natural flow of improvised tunes from there. Upbeat, crescendo, a little song he'd discarded before but decided that he rather liked, another one that he didn't like anymore.

That's how the organization's Freeshooter found him upon entering, _appearing _in his room, standing upside-down directly above the other and holding out a small open notepad. "Here ya go," he said simply.

"What's this?" Demyx questioned, taking the document.

"Mission details, don't lose it," he replied as he motioned distractedly with his right hand. "I went through the trouble of writing this one myself, so do a good job and write a good report in return, got it?"

The young musician nodded, smiling fondly but unable to hold back a quiet chuckle as he attempted to read the sniper's cluttered handwriting. "Thanks, Xig."

"No problem," Xigbar replied with a shrug. "It's just this one time, anyway."

"Right," Demyx nodded as he read quietly through the messily-written paragraphs. So far nothing seemed out of place, but Xigbar rarely took silence as cue for his leave – quite the contrary, in fact.

Soon enough Demyx finished and looked at him, quizzical expression plastered across his face, but that was the Nocturne – expressive in ways others perhaps envied.

"And these?" He asked, gazing curiously at the pages after the official document, all of which contained single sentences – he read the first one aloud. "If the subject fails to respond… use aggression to liberate his true disposition?"

"Well, Xemnas thought you could use some pointers, so I wrote a few suggestions for ya," the Freeshooter explained – he considered, at least for now, that it was best to momentarily forget about Xemnas' original intention of sending Saïx to give Demyx that push in the decided direction. "It might come in handy, kid."

"Oh, well… thanks," Demyx said, uneasy. "Do I have to-?"

"Nah," Xigbar shrugged, reappeared on the floor and placed his hand on Demyx's shoulder, leaning down closer to the sitarist's eye level. "Look, if nothin' works you can retreat and get back here."

He turned to Xigbar, his practice session long forgotten, "Xemnas would kill me!"

"Nah, I'm pretty sure he won't," the older Nobody assured, waving off the matter with a distracted hand motion. "Just do what you can and get back here if it doesn't work."

"…Are you sure?"

"Yep, completely."

"Well…" Demyx brought a hand to his chin in thought for a moment, after which he gave another smile and put his hand to the left side of his chest. "Put your hand on your heart and promise."

Xigbar couldn't help but find this a bit ironic.

"Sure, squirt," he said anyway, mirroring Demyx's action. "I promise."

**End Chapter Two**

* * *

_The third chapter's coming up, eh... sometime. But I assure this one will be worth the wait (yeah, I kind of hated these first two introductory chapters). The plot kicks up in the next chapter and-- well, you'll see. I'd rather not spoil it. xD_

_Also, I've been thinking about making a forum, maybe geared towards XigDem, maybe something more general. I do have a ton of things to post about (though I'd rather keep half those rants for AFTER I write about them in fics). What do you think?_


	3. But You Won't Know

_Ugh. How'd I manage to get so sick overnight? I feel awful. Zero sleep, killer headache, nausea, weak limbs, you name it. UGH._

_Buuuuut Mollie reminded me that today is Dem&Xig day, so I bugged Reifa to hand me this chapter. So, thanks to her for finish the editing on such short notice_!_ And thanks to all of you, too, because yours truly is getting close to 4000 author profile hits. I'll upload a thank-you picture on my dA sometime soon, but either way, I'll link you dudes to it in the next chapter._

_Hey, those of you who have watched the FM+ cutscenes: you might recognize a scene here. It'll clear up at what point of the timeline the story is._

_Lastly, HAPPY DEM&XIG DAY!_

* * *

**And Then The Demons Vanished**

_Part One: The Greatest of Thirteen Evils_

_Chapter III:__ But You Won't Know._

* * *

It was quite early when Xigbar took his high white seat in the circular meeting room. He pulled up the hood of his cloak and waited in the resonating, all-too-white silence; what Somebodies could call a _feeling, _perhaps, indicated that he would have company in the emptiness today as well.

As for concealing his face, however, he had no real reason he could grasp.

The meeting wouldn't start for quite a while, but to his side he saw the swirl of black he had expected, sudden and devoid of motif, bringing with it his usual company. Demyx stretched in his seat before turning curiously to look at the other Nobody. "Hey Xig," he greeted with a small wave across the grand room. "Heh, I could've sworn I was early."

He was sure now that Xemnas did not expect him to actually dispose of Sora if Roxas didn't turn up. He was sure and he didn't think much of it – not a surprise, really.

"Hey, kid," he replied as he disappeared from his spot and reappeared in the armrest of IX's chair. Almost instantly, he placed his hand atop IX's head and ruffled his hair, grinning at the boy's protests. "Don't worry, you're early."

"I just woke up and couldn't go back to sleep," Demyx laughed, finally free to fix the untamed hairdo. "You?"

Xigbar seemed thoughtful for a moment. "Something like it. Thought I'd have a breather before all the work I've gotta do today."

"So you won't be around later?"

The thoughtful appearance was quickly discarded, in exchange for his usual grin. "What, gonna miss me?"

In response, he was lightly elbowed.

"Sorry, no time," Xigbar paused to glance at the younger Nobody, his sharp-toothed grin giving an eerie glisten. "But I'll be back when you're done with your mission."

Demyx blinked, trying fruitlessly to meet Xigbar's gaze through the concealment provided by his cloak. "But you just said you'd be out?"

"I also said I'll be around, so I will." He laughed.

Demyx simply shook his head and laughed along – surely logic was on equal terms with space: bended to an almost-joke for him –, until Xigbar grabbed the hood of his cloak and pulled it up, concealing his face as well.

The musician glanced quizzically. "What's this for?"

Xigbar only brought his index finger to his lips. "Shh. Be a good boy now, it's gonna start."

"Huh?"

Three very much self-explanatory corridors of darkness opened in three seats, and with each a Nobody entered the room. Every non-being sat in silence, face hidden by black hoods. They would have been uncrecognizable if it weren't for the little personal mannerisms that they could barely even recognize amongst each other.

Perfect white. Silence. Faceless non-beings. Five minutes' time.

Thirteen chairs again and only five occupants now, raising their voices in concern for their organization, Axel's actions and the key bearer's incredibly speedy advance.

Bad things were indeed happening.

Demyx, for one and as a surprise to the others, knew for certain that Roxas was a traitor. He had doubted it more times than he'd dare speak about, yes, but he was sure Roxas was a traitor, and traitors were the one thing he could neither stand nor forgive. Although the traitor was Sora – because Roxas wouldn't do that to them – it had been a low hit, even if Demyx accepted the truth of the situation and Axel held his head high, eyes dull and demeanour resignated; Axel had been _crushed, _the Nocturne knew that much very well. And if there was one thing he could assure himself of now, it was that Axel was _not _going to do the same thing.

No one else seemed to agree. His absence in that meeting and every one to come wasn't a coincidence, even though they spoke about him like they always knew where he was. Like he was at the level of Sora, another tool.

Amidst the thick atmosphere, Xemnas ordered silence among the Nobodies and directed his attention towards an empty chair. Only a second or a few ticked away before another unreal cloud of quickly-dissipating smoke appeared, leaving behind the broad figure of Xaldin. Six Nobodies – in retrospective, the number seemed quite disheartening all in itself, as a reminder of what had been and what had fallen apart.

"The Hero of Light seemed quite shocked," he began. "It's ten years too early for a child like that to wield the Keyblade."

"Well, that's good for us," Xigbar laughed, two seats to Xaldin's right. "Now he'll keep obediently forging ahead, just like all fools of the light."

"If he doesn't, then is of no use to us," Saïx added dryly.

Roxas' name would not be mentioned again, that was clear. It had become a new taboo.

"Well then, he might just begin to entertain us," said Luxord, skillfully pulling out five cards from his sleeve and picking out the second one, holding it out for another Nobody to choose and test their luck by – an usual little game.

"Pick a good card for me!" Demyx flung his legs distractedly in his seat as he turned to the Gambler of Fate. "If I'm lucky, then maybe I can come back from my mission really quickly!"

"Well, aren't you the confident one," said Xigbar, once again grinning at the other's demeanour as he added, dubiously serious and likewise dubiously joking, "So if anything happens, you'll handle it?"

"Huh? Me?" Demyx rose slightly in his seat before slumping back and quickly, somewhat frantically waving his hands in front of himself. _He shouldn't say these things, they might take it seriousl_y… "Y'know, menial work isn't really my thing…"

_Menial, he says?_

"Stop this," Xaldin cut in, silencing the others. "Acting like you have hearts is misleading you; we feel nothing."

Demyx turned his head and opened his mouth to speak, stopping there as he caught the sight of Xigbar staring intently at him from across the room. The gunslinger shook his head – Demyx understood and remained silent.

"How boring," Luxord muttered as he flung his cards back in his sleeve. "There goes my entertainment."

Saïx scoffed quietly, tone permanently formal and laconic. "Those who forget our true goals must be eliminated."

"Everyone," echoed Xemnas' deep voice, directing Organization XIII's attention upon him almost instantly. His decision always concluded status meetings; Xemnas always had the last word. "The wielder of the Keyblade is once again walking the path… let us plant seeds along it."

"Go."

As everyone summoned darkness corridors to take themselves out of the room, Demyx was sure he the time of his approaching mission was tangible, simple and yet hugely decisive.

Bad things were indeed happening.

He also knew, somehow he just knew, that worse things were going to happen.

* * *

Taboo.

The word had many meanings to Xigbar, but none he could mention out loud. Taboo meant Ansem being sealed in the darkness by his apprentices, the egoism and ignorance that led to the loss of their hearts, Radiant Garden and now Roxas. There was only Sora, and Sora was there to be used as a tool, then discarded.

Everything he knew was taboo as well, but that was something he'd decided. Taboo until he found a chance to use it to his advantage and amusement. What everyone else didn't know couldn't hurt them anyway, unless he intended it to one of these days. And in turn, what he knew could spare him from a good number of bothersome situations. It worked out just fine.

The consequences of Xemnas' decisions would remain a disastrous chapter, and only that.

Xigbar stopped before knocking on the door to Demyx's quarters, shaking his head at how unusual and useless such a thing would be – and so, he just took a portal through the door.

The first thing he noticed was the dimness, to which he had to wait and blink a few times before adjusting. Then, as he assumed Demyx was out and looked around for any hints as to where, he spotted a sheet of paper on the nightstand under a large seashell; a little gift Xigbar had brought back from the same world he'd found the musician in: Atlantica. Demyx seemed very attached to it, for reasons he couldn't explain – the way it was set suggested that Xigbar was the only one supposed to see it.

Demyx's slightly stylish handwriting, thankfully, was easy to read without having to look for a source of light.

_To Xiggy:_

_The Superior called me for briefing just now, I think I'm gonna have to leave right away._

_Sorry, I'll be back soon. I guess._

_He's being really uptight lately, isn't he? _

_-Demyx_

He raised an eyebrow, calculating the state of things in the Castle That Never Was – that is, until he noticed the sensation on his fingers was not that of clean paper, and he flipped the page to find more written on the bottom.

_Axel was here today._

_We didn't talk, but I heard him talking with the Superior earlier and I think there's something going on, but I don't know. He's not allowed to be here a lot. Is he really a traitor, too?_

_He mentioned Marluxia and the others. Then I heard Vexen's name and…I'm not sure, but I think they were fighting, and I couldn't stay._

That was all. Xigbar looked for further writing and checked the nightstand again before folding the letter and placing it in his pocket.

_Fuck_, he cursed inwardly. _Don't get yourself into this, Dem…_

His mind wandered from thanking Demyx for the information, to new suspects about Axel's knowledge and involvement, to what Xemnas could do now, to Demyx's fate if he were to find out anything else, and there it stayed, ignoring the nagging voice that reminded him that he'd been the one to bring the neophyte into this to start with. Axel was as good as dead now, but that didn't particularly concern him – Demyx, on the other hand, might not be able to handle the stress of this mess on his own. He wasn't the double-crosser, or the rat-bastard; he was innocent and, one way or another, he was under Xigbar's protection. Knowing too much would put him in danger. If he thought about it at length, that wouldn't be such a problem for as long as the Freeshooter was around, but… if not literally, knowing too much would destroy Demyx in much the same way Roxas destroyed Axel.

He let out an exasperated breath. Things couldn't get to that. Not now, never, not his light-hearted Demyx with the nonsensical haircut and really nice eyes.

He pulled the letter out of his pocket, deciding that he would dispose of it. Burning it, perhaps, would be a suitable – if not nicely ironic – way to do so. He re-read it, unable to help himself from shaking his head and staring at the paper, as if he could persuade it to change its contents. _Dammit, kid…_

_Do you know what really happened in Castle Oblivion?_

**End Chapter Three**

* * *

_Do YOU know what really happened?_

_Don't be too sure._

_Mmhm, this is where the shady business rears its plot-y face. _

_Reviews, critiques, flames or anything would be awesome._


	4. For Obvious Reasons

_Hey, you dudes! Long time no see, huh?! _

_Not much to say this time around, uh... got my 4k hits here, 1k at dA, planning to write Fire Emblem and Tales of Symphonia stuff, aaand... that's about it. But hey, if anyone who's reading this happens to have played one of those games, drop me a line! The fandom doesn't look too big, and it's good to have a familiar username around._

_Oh, and hey, DOUBLE UPDATE THIS TIME. Two chapters in one. Take it as an apology for not updating fast enough.  
_

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_**And Then The Demons Vanished**

_Chapter IV:__ For Obvious Reasons._

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__This isn't good…_

Xemnas eyed him angrily, fingertips twitching to go on and turn him into a Dusk, and it might've been just him, after all, but his eyes seemed a redder amber now, contrasted with Saïx's pleased expression as he stood by his side. Demyx couldn't help but step back under the intense gaze, hand ready to summon his weapon and make way for a bolt to the exit.

"Failure," Xemnas spoke through almost gritted teeth. "Is not something we can afford. Do you understand this, Demyx?"

He gulped, more conscious now than ever of his own breathing and water, water, water only he could feel if he concentrated, so very close to coming forth and materializing in his hand.

"Of all the missions you've been assigned to since your arrival, you have failed half," He continued. "Not to mention your constant out of line behaviour and disrespect towards members superior than you."

Demyx knew what was to come next.

"All that nonsense about us having hearts…" The Superior muttered, his expression collected yet fierce, disgusted and slightly pleased at the edges. "Congratulations, Nine. You're a Dusk."

Hand raised, perhaps a slight self-satisfactory smirk in IX's direction; and he reacted by making bubbles appear and multiply speedily in his own palm, soundlessly extending.

Xemnas paused, and Demyx had to pull back when he realized that the silver-haired Nobody had not begun his attack yet. Instead, he looked sharply to an uncertain point to his left – absolutely devoid of anything out of the ordinary, but Demyx thanked greatly whatever misplaced object or miraculous spot of bother had granted him extra time.

"Xigbar."

"You called?"

The body appeared after the voice, hood up and hiding the face of the all-too-recognizable Nobody. Saïx glared, Xemnas rubbed his temple, and Demyx's maybe-proverbial heart leapt in his chest.

"You were coming," the Diviner stated.

"'Course I was. He just called me," Xigbar explained, pointing at the Superior with his thumb before turning to the blond musician and pulling back his hood, greeting with a grin. "Well fuck me. What'cha doing here, Dem?"

"I meant _before," _Saïx cut in, clearly irritated. "You were about to come in."

"Right, came to get him," Xigbar explained, briefly waving his hand in a dismissive manner as he neared the organization's Nocturne. "You're back just in time."

"Really?" Demyx asked, slightly nervous at Xemnas' silence and Xigbar's – perhaps exaggerated – confidence.

"Yeah, I was about to go take care of a few things. How'd the mission go?"

"He failed it."

Xemnas' hands were on his desk now, his voice firm. Xigbar turned to him, and Demyx couldn't help but step a bit closer to his companion.

"His time in this fine Organization is over," he added, walking around the desk to stand before Xigbar.

"Over?" The Freeshooter echoed. "Isn't that too drastic?"

"Not quite. Our actions are crucial at the moment. We can't afford to let this situation get out of hand; whoever hinders this mustn't remain here."

"I absolutely agree. But I gotta differ on a tiny little thing – Demyx here didn't hinder anything."

"He failed every objective in today's mission, Xigbar."

"Demyx attempted to bring Roxas back, and he didn't turn up."

"And your point is…?"

Demyx's mind ran a mile a minute, yet still managed to stumble upon the notion that there had been, perhaps, a small smile on the corners of Xigbar's lips at that moment.

"We did have to confirm whether Roxas could be contacted and brought back, so, he did accomplish collecting useful intelligence, isn't that right?"

"This decision is mine to make. He failed in stealing what he was told to and in defeating Sora; I have no need for burdensome subordinates."

Xigbar paused, bringing his hand to his chin in a thoughtful manner, all but fearful or intimidated. Demyx had to admit he was impressed and rather dumbstruck, as he mentally rooted for his sudden saviour.

"Defeating Sora? If I remember right, he wasn't assigned that task. Actually, he was recommended the use of aggression to liberate Roxas, which he did; Roxas still didn't turn up. As for the Olympus Stone; by the situation in the Coliseum and the time he was able to spend in the Underworld, I'd say he got it."

Xemnas' expression was that of utter disbelief and some annoyance now. He stood wordless for a second or two, during which Xigbar turned to Demyx again. "Your report, kid."

"Um, right…" Demyx replied, blinking, as he took the long-forgotten document from his cloak's pocket and handed it to the sniper. "Here."

He nodded and quickly read through the report, skipping parts until he confirmed what he needed to, grinning widely now in a manner that almost, maybe did comfort the musician. "Here it is."

"What is it now?"

"The intel you needed, accounting that he did the stealin' part, and report on the Underworld. Clearly he doesn't have the trinket on 'im, but the work's all done."

He placed the document on the Superior's desk, standing straight and quiet while Xemnas eyed them both, fists clenched.

"_Out_," he commanded, his voice deadpan. "I will see to this before the next meeting."

"As you say, boss."

II turned around and walked out calmly, IX in toe with a definitely amazed look in his bright eyes. Xigbar opened the door and allowed the younger Nobody to proceed outside before doing so himself, closing the door behind them softly and stopping there, chuckling lightly, smile cocky as ever.

Demyx blinked once, twice, thrice, letting everything he'd just witnessed sink in fully.

"Wow…"

"What's the matter, Dem?"

Before he could say anything else, the musician flung himself at Xigbar, wrapping his arms about his neck and holding on tight, beaming, laughing like a man saved from death, which he might as well have been. And he would've seemed emotional, if Xigbar hadn't already confirmed the lack of such a possibility after the creation of a Nobody.

"Thank you so much, Xiggy!" He exclaimed. "He was gonna turn me into a Dusk for sure!"

"Hey, easy there!" Xigbar couldn't help but laugh too, wrapping his own arms around the sitarist without giving it much thought. "It's no problem."

"Nah, that was awesome," Demyx insisted, pulling back. "Right on time, too."

"Fine, I guess it was," Xigbar agreed easily.

Demyx punched his shoulder lightly, fraternally. "Tch, cocky. That's Xig alright."

Both non-beings broke out in laughter again, distractedly walking down the hallway outside Xemnas' office.

"So, what do you have to do now?"

"Not a whole lot, I was thinking about asking Lux to cover for me this once. Target practice and calling it a night sounds fine. 'Ey little dude, wanna tag along?"

"Sure," Demyx smiled. "I vote for a snack first, though."

"You got it."

With that and Demyx's arm still lazily flung around Xigbar's shoulders, IX proceeded down the impossibly tall pathway to the kitchen – however, he only tugged II along a few steps before the older Nobody stopped in his tracks.

"Not so fast," he said before Demyx could make any questions. "I kept my promise, so I'm gonna ask ya to promise me something in return."

"That's not how it-" The Nocturne paused, dismissing the thought with a chuckle. "…okay."

Xigbar seemed almost contemplative for a second, but his thoughts were quickly dismissed as well when he placed a hand atop Demyx's head, leaned in and kissed his forehead – the blond's smile faltered and disappeared out of surprise, only to return wider just a moment later, as the gunslinger pulled away. "Take care of yourself, kiddo."

One single honest, content look later, he found no other logical thing to do but forget about logic – where'd it just come from, anyway? – and wrap his arms around Xigbar again. He couldn't help but laugh, either, as he replied with an awfully easy "I will."

Demyx was aware now, suddenly and overly and for less than a second, of Xigbar's golden eye upon him. In the fleeting fraction of time, maybe, something within him considered the possibility of feeling just a tad threatened; only a minority within himself considering small possibilities of minimal things, practically impossibilities, and as such, the thought was suppressed, too.

Oblivious as he was, on the other hand, of the older man's own sudden, heightened awareness, it never did strike him as awkward to begin tugging II in the general direction of the kitchen again – Xigbar simply smiled back and followed, finding no word that fit the whole situation better than 'endearing'.

Demyx looked back with an arched eyebrow. "What _does _Saïx do in Xemnas' office all day, anyway?"

Xigbar made some sort of choking sound before bursting out in rich laughter.

-:-

"So, I've been thinking…"

"Say what?" Xigbar asked, making a dramatically surprised expression; Demyx scowled in response. "Sorry, sorry… couldn't help it. Go on."

Demyx crossed his arms – there was the usual Xigbar-induced pout again. "Nope, nevermind."

"Aw, c'mon squirt, I was kiddin'."

"Yeah, yeah…"

Xigbar looked away from the scope of his rifle and towards the Nocturne. "Y'know I'll get it out of you."

"How?"

"Like this."

The Freeshooter simply grinned, placed his index finger behind the musician's head and slid it down his spine; as soon as it reached his lower back, Demyx giggled loudly and scrambled away – a weak spot, if you will. "H-Hey!"

"Ready to talk?"

"Nope!"

It still unnerved Demyx sometimes, the whole picture painted by Xigbar's glistening golden eye, the sharp fangs and the grin crooked by the scar on his cheek. Predatory, perhaps, even for the usually innocent-enough purposes, but he never quite feared. Maybe because he'd never had the misfortune of meeting an angry II.

And still, he couldn't help but laugh nervously at the particular look he was being given.

That is, until Xigbar shook his head and sneaked his arm around Demyx's waist, pulling him close; he tapped his long fingers on the sitarist's sides, causing him to instantly break out in laughter.

"How 'bout now?" He asked, tickling IX's sides with both his hands now to keep him from squirming away.

Demyx leaned over, clutching his stomach as he continued laughing. "Okay, okay!"

The gunman gave a satisfied smile, taking his attention back to the rifle resting at the ledge of the tall building in the Dark City; hunting, target practice, no difference. The killing wasn't killing anyway, only blasting a few shadows out of their non-existence, and the only thing that died was boredom after all.

"I'm listening," he said, squinting his one good eye to aim at a heartless Demyx couldn't really see from here, but he assumed there was one.

"Well, I was thinking about our Others," he begun. "If they were lost to the darkness and we're just… the shell of them, and we don't exist, then technically our Somebodies don't exist anymore, right? Doesn't that sorta defeat the purpose of trying to be them again? For something that doesn't exist, to want to turn into something that doesn't exist either…"

"But they do," Xigbar cut in, in the same way the first bullet of the fresh clip tore through a heartless below. "We don't intend to be them again, but to gain back what they lost – still, they exist. Don't ya remember what happened to your Somebody?"

"Um… there's the whole heartless deal but…"

Demyx trailed off, wondering where his fellow Nobody was getting at; he glanced in his direction thoughtfully as the sniper shot a few more times and stopped to reload.

"He's dead, Dem," he said, turning to grin at the now discouraged blond and raising his index finger to emphasize his speech, as usual. "But those who have passed aren't said to be like us Nobodies. You gotta wonder, what does it really mean to exist?"

"That's easy, people who have died exist because people remember them," IX answered with a pleased smile; he then tapped the spot on his chest where his heart should've been. "It makes sense, 'cause a heart is made mostly of memories."

"Is it?" Xigbar asked with a deep chuckle, earning only a confident nod from Demyx.

He reassumed the hunt, watching a shadow twice as big as the common ones until it stood still long enough for a perfect headshot – within less than a second it faded back into nothing. "A Somebody continues to exist for as long as they're remembered. Knew ya where smarter than you look."

Demyx decided to let that one slide, watching with interest the glowing hearts that floated away after Xigbar's every shot. He turned to his right and leaned against Xigbar's side, careful not to disrupt the sniper's hold on his weapon.

But the sounds of every fired bullet shook him, and he couldn't help but cringe at the sickening sound that accompanied the last one. "Bullseye?"

"Yeah," Xigbar replied, his smile lacing his words with contentment and some pride.

"Have you always liked shooting things this much? From before, I mean."

He paused, lowering his gun while he pondered the question.

"'Course, s'my hobby and ability and fighting style. Braig wasn't nearly as good as me, though," he said, and proceeded to tap his eyepatch. "This actually helps. Never needed two eyes for the scope, but he was used to that."

"Braig huh…" Demyx muttered thoughtfully. "So… Braig still exists?"

"Yep. How 'bout you? What d'ya remember?"

"I…" The Nocturne frowned, melancholic realization dawning on him. "I don't remember anything."

Yet again, Xigbar pulled the trigger.

"Not even his name?"

Demyx concentrated, trying to backtrack, but all the past he could remember were his first days in the Organization. Before that, nothing. "No…"

Reloading, shooting, bullseye, bullseye, bullseye, and he stopped.

"I'm gonna go get some sleep," Demyx said before the older male could even open his mouth to speak. "See you tomorrow, Xig."

"'Ey, kid," The Freeshooter called just as the blond stood and opened a portal.

"Yeah?"

"I remember."

Silence. He blinked, unable to form a reaction for a while.

"He was a musician too. Loved the sea," Xigbar added with a calm, almost gentle expression – Demyx couldn't help but consider that it made him look younger. "We should go there sometime, don'tcha think?"

The sitarist gave a pleasant, wide smile.

"Yeah, that'd be nice," he said. "How's about a beach?"

Xigbar grinned one of those feral, cocky grins that were only his own. "I know just the place."

"Where?"

"You'll see."

Demyx crossed his arms, his portal still shifting behind him, incorporeal. Despite the potentially gloomy sight, the other Nobody simply returned his focus to reloading his weapon. "You'll see soon," he continued. "'Cause I'm takin' you there tomorrow."

The blond's expression instantly brightened up, wide-eyed, bright-eyed in a blue-green colour that still resulted pleasant, even in the thick night of Never Was. "Awesome!"

"Now, now," Xigbar motioned towards the open darkness corridor. "Y'know, if you leave that thing open for a while longer, you don't know where it could take ya."

"Oh, right! I was sorta distracted in that meeting," Demyx laughed. "I'll go now. 'Night!"

He hesitated, flinched, glanced back – Xigbar noticed this easily, smiling despite himself. "It's okay, Dem. Go. I'll remember him."

"…Thanks, Xiggy."

He shrugged; Demyx turned to leave again.

"He must've thought the same about music…" IX added. "It really helps pass the time, too. Hum while you work?"

With that, he stepped into the darkness, leaving Xigbar to ponder his words before he shrugged that off too and went back to hunting, wearing the same pleasant smile as he decided he should make sure to remember Myde, for Demyx's sake. Myde's eyes never did have that peculiar light Demyx's aqua orbs possessed, and the strong smell of deep sea had never been more pleasant to his senses than the smell of the beach and its waves that reached him around the young Nobody, but he'd remember. Not that he could forget the first merman he'd met, even if he liked Demyx better.

_S'that all?_

A raindrop on his hand distracted his train of thought momentarily – then on his face as he looked up into the suddenly grey skies, this drop thicker than the last. A huge change from the mostly cloudless day, or what he could call as such in the eternally dark world.

A good sign.

Xigbar was anything _but_ superstitious, as much as he believed in roundabout payback and the world's way of putting people to shame, for justice – signs, in his book, were only like this one case. Within a few minutes it was pouring, and rather torrentially at that.

Demyx's mood had to be really good that night.

The first thought that came to him was that no, Myde never did wear his emotions on his sleeve quite like this, even if he was the blond's Other; there was a different tone between the two – even if that was something Demyx would say, and it oddly made sense at the moment – and, he reiterated, he preferred Demyx's tone. It was… different, yes, very different from the rest of them, but not necessarily in a bad way. It was entertaining, actually, but not in the way he amused himself with the others. The boy was like a bro-

-Xigbar's single eye met a copy of itself as he looked down at his reflection in the growing puddles of water.

He couldn't help but laugh quietly, at nothing and no one but himself and his thoughts.

_Sheesh, don't deny things now. What was that, a conscience?_

_Not like a brother…_

He grinned at the kind of thoughts his reflection displayed so clearly – if that was what Demyx saw on a daily basis, he must've been quite dense as to not notice the intentions Xigbar noticed in that moment, intentions that might've crossed his mind when he took Myde in his arms and carried him to the World that Never Was, because he admittedly _had_ stumbled upon the clear notion that Myde was rather attractive; truly, it was hard not to when that ridiculous fin of his disappeared in exchange for a human lower half.

And then there was Demyx. And although he was, in fact, even more appealing than Myde, Xigbar soon forgot those intentions for reasons he couldn't recall now. They had been there, though, and they were here now; intentions he shouldn't be proud of, intentions that were far too ethically wrong.

That, however, didn't bother him at all.

_Gotcha._

The rain fell heavier upon the water's surface, disrupting the image and making him notice that it was pooling on the roof by then, almost sinking his feet already. He hadn't bothered to pull up the hood of this cloak, and he didn't bother to seek shelter, but he considered that if Demyx kept it up like this, the city could be a new Atlantica by the next morning.

The gunman lifted his rifle off the ground and turned the opposite way – the Castle That Never Was was in rather clear view from the roof of Memory's Skyscraper, allowing him a clean shot into the small portal he opened a good way ahead. The bullet entered and exited the corridor of darkness, only to end up lodged into the ceiling of the ninth bedroom, inside the castle.

The occupant of said room gave a startled jump and looked around wildly before spotting the object; when he did, he relaxed and laughed quietly to himself, whispering to nobody, "Oops... sorry, Xig."

Demyx returned to his bed, allowing the rain to stop as he drifted off to sleep.

**End Chapter Four**

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**_Since this is an unexpected double-post, part of it has yet to be edited, so__ you can have a look again later if you'd like to see the corrected version. _

_Neeeeext up: an undercover punishment for Xigbar's preference, a lesson, loyalties, the clean-up plan, and a happy Saïx. The last one's got to mean something's up._

_Review, if ya don't mind.  
_


	5. The Shaken, The Mistaken

_Hey, everyone! Happy New Year and all that jazz; oh yeahh, I was writing fanfiction during the festive days. That's got to say something. _

_Not much to say this time. But hey, as opposed to this site, I'm really active on dA. I suppose it's just easier to be active there. Why don'tcha go say hi?_

_Too much adieu, huh. Well, here goes the chapter.  
_

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* * *

_**And Then The Demons Vanished**

_Chapter V:__ The Shaken, the Mistaken._

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_Monday morning. For a reason he couldn't quite put his finger on, there was something Xigbar found unsettling about Monday mornings. Maybe that was the bare gist of Braig's dislike for such a day altogether, and Xigbar admitted that there was something lethargic – no, somnolent about it, but it felt like he should've been remembering something more concrete to dislike it about. Not that it'd matter if he remembered; he wouldn't have it in him to hold hard feelings for it anyway.

Momentarily entertained as he was by the thought, Xigbar soon discarded it and took a quick portal into the meeting room; much to his dismay, Demyx was not there to bug for a while, neither Xaldin to chat with, nor Luxord to amuse himself with. Instead, there was only Saïx is his chair, arms crossed over his chest, leaning back slightly.

"Hey, wolfboy!" He called; Saïx instantly straightened his back and barely turned his head in his direction. "Mornin'."

"Good _afternoon, _number Two," he said.

"Not too good."

Xigbar didn't really begin to wonder whether he should be offended at the correction or anything of the sort – the only thought that crossed his mind was that, despite the usual way-too-stiff tone in Saïx's voice, there was something about him that made him seem somewhat pleased. Interesting.

"Monday… what a drag," he muttered. "Do you like Mondays, Saïx?"

The Diviner certainly didn't look like he expected further conversation from him, neither such a question. Still, it didn't take away the faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips or the peculiar glint in his eyes; quite the opposite. After the initial slight surprise – for every little reaction in Saïx could only be slight –, he gave an honestly pleased, oddly unconcealed smile.

II couldn't help but grin. _Smart boy._

"If I could, I'm sure I would love Mondays."

He nodded, uninterested now in VII, much more preoccupied by the new flash of black in the chair almost across from his own and the young Nobody who sat there.

The Freeshooter waved, slumping back in his chair comfortably. "Mornin', Dem."

"Hey!" Greeted the musician. "Anything new?"

_Bad news._

Xigbar soon found, much to his dismay, that he didn't really have it in him to say such a thing.

"Not a whole lot."

"Just another case of Monday morning, right Xig?" Demyx said with a smile that Xigbar couldn't help but return in response. "Say, when does this-"

The musician was cut short by three simultaneous corridors of darkness opening and closing quickly, leaving behind the three other Nobodies that formed the organization, six in total out of the original thirteen. The seven empty seats still posed a discreet reminder of Castle Oblivion's losses, of meaningless companions and betrayers.

"Start? Now, I'd say," Xigbar completed Demyx's sentence with a small smirk. He then turned to the arriving non-beings. "Hey Lux, right on time."

"Irony, oh irony," Luxord replied with an appreciative laugh.

"Silence. There are important matters we must see to," Xemnas ordered; the less Nobodies in his realm, the shorter each meeting was, especially without those who did not pass the test of simple natural selection. "Surveillance on the key-bearer has brought results; within a week we may end this."

Organization XIII stilled, expectant and unbelieving.

Xigbar looked at the Superior with a raised eyebrow. "Are you implying Kingdom Hearts will be complete in a week?"

"Indeed," he answered. "At the rate the wielder is collecting hearts for us, one week will suffice. By the sixth day, Hollow Bastion is expected to crash upon itself by a failure of its own defense system, ambushing Sora and forcing him to remain there for a considerable period, far enough for us to deploy troops towards the city by the dawn of the seventh day. The wielder of the keyblade will serve his purpose be disposed of. Kingdom Hearts will finally be complete, and we… we will regain possession of our hearts."

On instinct and habit, Xigbar watched his fellow Nobodies through the awed silence, quickly spotting Demyx. He couldn't help but smile at his joyous expression, a mere resonance of the boy's apparent happiness – he hadn't been sure what to feel to start with, which was why, like in several previous times, he chose to allow the sitarist to demonstrate. Demyx soon appeared to notice and turned to meet the gunslinger's gaze, giving another one of _those _smiles, the ones that he'd never really been able to say 'You don't have a heart' to.

"Sir, what will our duties be?"

Xigbar took a brief glance at Saïx's unsettlingly persistent smile, wondering if the imminent conclusion was the source of his change in demeanour.

Xemnas set his eyes on VII for a moment; Saïx outright grinned.

_Guess not. What's goin' on?_

"Number Seven, you are to continue surveillance and report any changes that might affect the outcome of this. Three, you are to remain in the castle and stand guard. Two and Ten will be assigned different missions shortly, and Nine will be the one to intercept and destroy the key-bearer in Hollow Bastion."

Xigbar instantly turned back to Saïx. _Fuck!_ _So that was it, you little-!_

"Me?" Demyx blurted out. "But I'm not really cut out for-"

"Consider this a chance to redeem yourself, Nine. Do not fail."

His tone was too definitive for the musician _not _to gulp and nod as his eyes once again met Xigbar's in the single most desperate and lost look he remembered; the sniper gritted his teeth and felt his hand turn into a fist.

"Xemnas," he called, voice strained. "I request to take on the mission-"

"I will speak with you in a moment, Two. The rest of you are dismissed."

He looked for Demyx among the white again – the Nocturne only looked back at him and shook his head before disappearing through the dark corridor that expanded behind him.

_Fuck._

"God dammit, Xemnas, just lemme get rid of the damn punk, let's get it over with."

The silver-haired Nobody regarded Xigbar silently. A few seats to his left was Saïx, to whom dismissal apparently did not apply – he, however, preferred not to dignify the Diviner with any sort of acknowledgement.

Xemnas finally heaved a sigh – _Spare me, drama queen. _– and spoke.

"Why do you protect him?"

"Because you're tryin' to kill him."

"It seems you forget I can hold no resentment towards him or anyone else, Nobody or not. Soon Kingdom Hearts will grant him a heart in exchange for nothing. He must do this, at the very least."

The Freeshooter rolled his eye.

"Don't grant him anything. He doesn't need it, no more than his goddamn _life_."

"A life? We have nothing like that. We have _nothing_. And in turn, I'm giving the chance to regain everything."

Admittedly, he was starting to become quite damn _pissed._ "Don't fuck around with me, Xemnas. I'm not stupid. I'm not blind either, not yet. I can see what's going on."

The organization's Superior raised an eyebrow. "Oh, can you, Two?"

"You know he can't win; you're expecting just that, you're expecting him to go and die," Xigbar paused, briefly held back by a particularly annoying and lucid portion of his mind. "Does the name 'Zexion' ring any bells, _Superior_?"

Silence. Xemnas' chair suddenly seemed to be much higher up.

"He must be put to use," he said with a slight hint of disdain on his features. "Whether he is able to fulfil the mission is up to him. I still can't fathom why you would want to protect number Nine, but I would recommend you keep your personal affairs apart from this."

"Tch," Xigbar frowned. "Spare me."

"Very well."

With that, Xemnas exited the meeting room by a void of inky black and dark purple, leaving the Freeshooter and a pleased Diviner behind.

"Ah, Mondays… how lovely."

Xigbar disappeared and reappeared perched on the armrest of Saïx's chair within the timeframe of a blink, nevertheless earning only an unfazed look. A second blink, and his sniper rifle was pressed to Saïx's temple. "I'm gonna _kill_ you, much sooner than you can kill him."

"I'm sure this would be truly terrifying, if I could imagine such a feeling."

"You'll know it soon enough. Right now there's no time to waste with your kinda scumbag. Just thought I'd give ya a heads-up."

Despite the tinge of regret for not shooting him right then, guilt and worry overpowered his senses and drove him to exit the room via portal before Saïx could begin to notice movement.

**End Chapter Five**

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**_Three guesses on what Zexion has to do with anything. Get it right and you get... the satisfaction of being a little smartass spoiling my story. Yay!_

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